What is your Robben Island Swim?
I’m currently coaching Ashley, who’s preparing for her swim to Robben Island. It’s a long, notorious swim. Dangers include the Antarctic cold waters, strong currents, choppy waters, and of course the potential for the Great White Shark to visit.
And even though it sounds bad. It’s not really the physical challenge that is hard. It’s a mind game. And the swim is a powerful metaphor for all aspects of life for all of us.
So as I help Ashley prepare her mind for this swim, I want to also ask you to reflect. What is your Robben Island swim? What life or work challenge do you have where your mind is in the way?
Key elements of our recent session:
1. “Relationship to success or failure”
It’s easy to exist in the language of success or failure. “I did it” - I make this mean that I’m successful, I’m worthy. “I didn’t make it” - I make that mean that I’m failure, not worthy, and shouldn’t try again.
The mind creates a story about what things mean. The stories sometimes empower us, but often they limit and stop us trying. The invite is to let go of this relationship to success or failure. Let go, live life in the arena, play full out, succeed sometimes and when you fail at least do so whilst daring greatly (Roosevelt quote).
2. “Embrace the unexpected”
Unexpected and difficult situations will always occur in life. When swimming to Robben Island, things won’t go to plan. So the mind doesn’t need to be surprised, frustrated or freaked out. Calm, clarity & flow is possible in the face of anything, and it’s also the best strategy to complete the swim.
3. “What stories are you creating?”
Notice what the mind does. It consistently creates stories that we are immersed in. The stories are particularly immersive when we think the challenge is a big one. Our thinking can go wild - “can I make it?”, “what if I don’t make it?”, “what if I get hypothermia?”, “what will people think of me?”… a constant stream of unhelpful thought.
When we realise that we’re living in a ‘story’, literally a story; we have the opportunity to release from them. Then we can just powerfully do whatever we need to do.
4. “We have a built-in design to function well”
Run Forest run. Swim Ashley, just swim.
The mind and body have incredible potential to perform well. Sportspeople call this being ‘in the zone’. It’s natural, an effortless state, free of thinking, and at the same time high performing. We can be in this state doing anything - driving our car, presenting, solving a problem… and also swimming to Robben Island. The key is to live life trusting this innate ability. When we release from our stories, this new way of living (& swimming) is available.
6. “It’s not about the swim”
The swim is a metaphor for all challenges in life. It’s what we learn about the mind that’s important, so when the next challenge comes along, we are more able more easily to operate being our potential.
So I ask again, what is your Robben Island swim?
